Environment Minister Rory Stewart today welcomed the £4 billion national parks generate for our economy as he encouraged the next generation to play an active role in caring for these treasured landscapes.
Seventy years on from the post-war campaign for National Parks in John Dower’s famous White Paper, Rory Stewart will set out his ambition that more young people than ever both enjoy and help govern our natural environment.
From the Northumberland National Park Youth Cabinet to the Peak District youth forum and Yorkshire Dales young rangers, a new generation are taking an active role in making decisions for its future.
Environment Minister Rory Stewart said:
“We must never forget John Dower’s founding vision that our finest landscapes need protection for current and future generations to enjoy.
“It is amazing to see our young people – the future custodians of our natural world – actively participating in the future of our national parks and being part of our precious natural heritage.
“As the next generation grows, we must preserve what is valuable in our countryside – our National Parks which are vital to rural life and provide beautiful landscapes for us all to enjoy.”
Alongside the youth projects acting as the voice of young people for the national parks, the Lake District has a new scheme to arrest the decline in traditional rural skills through helping train 12 apprentices and 30 new volunteers in skills such as dry-stone walling, habitat conservation, forestry, lime mortaring and upland stone pitching.
Rory Stewart will speak tonight at the annual National Parks Conference held from the14-16 October and hosted by Dartmoor National Park Authority and Bovey Castle. This year’s conference brings together the National Parks across England, Wales and Scotland, to discuss practical matters, exchange ideas and lay the ground for better collaboration.
